Authenticity as Weaving Coherence Across Time and Place: Insights from Craft

This chapter explores the topic of authenticity work in the development of sustainable business models, referring to craft practices. The debate on authenticity in management and organization studies focuses on authenticity mainly in relation to an audience for competitive advantage, but this reflects a static and functionalist view of authenticity, failing to consider authenticity as exerted by organizations and individuals in the continuous becoming of their work. Using the metaphor of “weaving coherence,” the chapter identifies six modes of authenticity work in craft, showing how craftmakers integrate past, present, future, and place into their practices and how this contributes to the development of sustainable business models. This shift in perspective moves the discussion from audience-based narratives to a producer-focused, practice-oriented view, positioning authenticity as an ongoing process. By highlighting the time- and place-based nature of craft, the chapter contributes to the understanding of authenticity as a living practice contributing to business models’ sustainability. The chapter invites further research into the intersection of authenticity, craft, and sustainability, extending its relevance to organizational studies and to practice.